The Second Red Rose In The Balvenie Stories

This is a follow-up to the original Balvenie Red Rose, which was introduced in 2008 and only made 426 bottles available for sale on-site. It immediately sold out and developed into a collectible, which it still is today. The original Red Rose was a 16-year-old, 53.4% ABV, cask-strength version that was aged in tawny port wine barrels. This 21-year-old whiskey was aged in Australian shiraz barrels. Margaret Douglas, a 15th-century aristocrat who lived at Balvenie Castle, which is now perched on a promontory above Balvenie Distillery, served as the model for the name. She was regarded as the most beautiful lady in Scotland, and the monarch granted her permission to reside at Balvenie in exchange for a red rose each year after her husband, the eighth Earl of Douglas, was killed in combat. In order to provide the whisky an appropriately rose-colored tint for the initial release, Balvenie malt master David Stewart used tawny port casks; this time, he utilized Australia shiraz casks.